U.S. Pat. No. 4,823,272, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, describes a method of displaying position and motion information of N variables for an arbitrary number of moving objects in space using a processor-controlled two-dimensional display. As illustrated, the display comprises a velocity axis and orthogonal thereto four parallel equally spaced axes. One of these four axes represents time and the other three the x, y and z spatial dimensions. On this two-dimensional display the trajectories of the objects to be monitored, such as aircraft, are depicted and their positions can be found at a specific instant in time. The plot for the position of each such object comprises a continuous multi-segmented line. If the line segments for the x, y, and z dimensions overlie each other for any two of the respective objects, but are offset in the time dimension, the objects will pass through the same point but not at the same time. Collision of the objects is indicated when line segments representing the time, x, y, and z dimensions for any two of the objects completely overlie each other.
When the plot for the respective objects indicates a potential conflict, the user, such as an Air Traffic Control (ATC) controller, has the trajectory of one of the objects modified to avoid collision. This method desirably provides a display of trajectory data to assist the user in resolving conflict; but it does not provide conflict detection as early as desirable in this age of fast moving aircraft.
S. Hauser, A. E. Gross, R. A. Tornese (1983), En Route Conflict Resolution Advisories, MTR-80W137, Rev. 2, Mitre Co., McLean, Virginia, discloses a method to avoid conflict between up to five aircraft where any one has a trajectory conflicting with that of the remaining four. Said method and also pair-wise and triple-wise resolution methods heretofore proposed resolve conflicts subset by subset, which leads to high complexity due to the need for rechecking and can result in worse conflicts than those resolved. Other examples of prior art conflict detection systems for air traffic control applications are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No(s). 4,646,244 and 4,063,073.
In Hughes Aircraft Company U.S. Pat. No. 4,839,658, a process is disclosed for establishing when pairs of en route aircraft are in potential en route conflict. A set of look ahead projections are prepared to determine if an aircraft will come into conflict with another en route to its destination. The process employs a finite (16) projections to determine if a conflict is likely to occur. This finite number of projections is a severe failing which limits the degrees of freedom from which to detect and prepare maneuvers to avoid collision.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,024, a processor implemented method is described for detecting and resolving conflict between a plurality of aircraft or other objects, such as robot arms, on potentially conflicting trajectories in space. A two dimensional graph generated on a processor controlled display depicts the trajectory of a first aircraft and also the front and back limiting trajectory and the time remaining until a conflict between another of the aircraft with the front and back of the airspace associated with the first airplane. Possible conflict is resolved by diverting one of the aircraft by an appropriate maneuver to a conflict free path. A limitation, overcome in the subject invention, is that a single area of conflict is employed represented by the circumference of a circle around each airplane. This limitation is a severe failing which limits the degrees of freedom from which to detect and prepare maneuvers to avoid collision.
There is a need for a more flexible, complete apparatus and method for avoiding conflict and maintaining at least a desired degree of separation between a plurality of objects, such as aircraft, robot parts or other elements moving in respective trajectories in space. In other words, there is a need for a method which detects all potential conflicts, concurrently resolves all conflicts between all the objects, and provides instructions whereby conflict can be avoided with minimal trajectory changes of the involved objects.